This time last year, the flu drug, which has utilized just under $200 million in federal dollars, appeared dead in the water, suspended.

At the time, the company was quick to point out that it was moving on to bigger things- a hereditary angioedema compound that’s expecting Phase 2a results in the first half of 2014, an antiviral compound with the potential to be used to thwart terrorism, and a hepatitis compound that was later abandoned.

BioCryst cut its staff in half as part of the reorganization, an event Stonehouse would later call his hardest decision yet.

But, when China announced it would be approving peramivir — a surprise to Stonehouse — the U.S. Food and Drug Administration made a decision that surprised analysts — to work with BioCryst to forward the IV flu compound- despite its failures. And, with the ball rolling, Stonehouse prepped for a comeback. Peramivir may not be the company’s priority agent — Stonehouse points to its HAE compound as his lead- but it’s the one taxpayers have the biggest stake in.

Rob Bennett, vice president of investor relations, offers those taxpayers good news.

“We’ll definitely come in under the $234.8 million that was allocated,” he says.

Specifically, the company has spent about $192 million in federal dollars, with little expenses remaining.

The next step is to prep for scaling and make delivery decisions, Stonehouse adds. The goal? To have the compound ready by next flu season.

“We’d like to see it stockpiled by the U.S. government, so we’re in the evaluation process of what’s the best way, what’s the best way to make it available,” Stonehouse says.

In other words- no time to celebrate the milestone that some analysts said would never happen.

“I think what I’m most proud of is that when things started to look so challenging, the team never gave up,” Stonehouse says. “I think (the NDA) is an important step. You know, we still need to get approval, and that’s an even more important step. But you can’t get there if you don’t file, and we think we have a package that supports approval.”